Royce is rich when it comes to points

Knox County junior Royce Poore scored his 1,000th point as an Eagle; it took him just over two years

Ryan Ronan @RyanRonan_KDE

EDINA, Mo. - Knox County junior Royce Poore accomplished something in two-and-a-half years that most high school basketball players are never able to achieve.

On Jan. 19 in a game against North Shelby, Poore drained a three-pointer that gave the junior 1,000 career points.

“Scoring my 1,000th point as a junior has been really cool, since it has always been one of my dreams from the beginning,” said Poore.

Knox County head coach Zach Summers is in his second year as the Eagles head man and feels fortunate to start off with some like Poore.

“To be able to start my career with a player like Royce is more than any coach could ever ask for,” said Summers.

Poore’s dad is the one that helped make everyone aware that his son was approaching this milestone at such an early point in his career.

“I never told him I wanted to know how many points I had, just because I wanted it to be a surprise,” said Poore.

Summers knows that it takes a different player to reach 1,000 points as a junior.“If you score 1,000 points as a junior that means you have had to have the ability to come in and contribute right away. I wasn’t his coach when he was a freshman, but going back and watching the film he just stands out right away,” said Summers.

Poore didn’t know exactly when he was going to score the point, but he knew it was coming.“I found out before the game I was close and I knew there was a chance but I didn’t know when it was,” said Poore.

As much as a player changes from his freshman year to his junior year in a normal situation, Poore’s was made even more drastic by going through a coaching change as a sophomore.“Last year he did a really good job of adjusting to our system and scoring within the offense. He got a lot of offensive rebounds and put-back opportunities as well as stepping out and hitting threes. This year he has adjusted to being able to take over a game if he has to. He has done everything I have ever asked of him,” said Summers.

Very often in sports the role of team leader isn’t cast upon those with the most seniority, but those with the most ability.

“My freshman year I was just put out there to score. My sophomore year I got a little bit more of a leadership role, and now my junior year it has been leadership the entire time,” said Poore.

Just like Summers has noticed a growth in Poore’s play, he has also taken note of the increase in leadership.

“He is a quiet kid who lets his play do most of the talking. But this year he has stepped into more of a vocal role,” said Summers.

Being able to score 1,000 points in a high school career takes dedication on and off the floor.

“Royce comes to practice everyday and works hard, but he works even harder in the classroom as grades are very important to him. You will never hear anyone say anything negative about Royce, he is just a real easy kid to get behind,” said Summers.

Although Poore still has one more year at KC following this one, he already has plans on attending Truman State University and playing basketball, if the opportunity presents itself.